Day 7:  This morning the entire team traveled to a village about thirty minutes away from Hinche called Ravine Caw. The roads were treacherous today the pick-up trucks maneuvered everything from rocky inclines to mud traps. The weather was absolutely beautiful when we headed out and the landscape of rolling hills and valleys striking.

The church was on a hill overlooking a valley. We were struck by the difference between this village and Loboc the village we visited yesterday. The yard outside the church was cleanly swept and the church impeccably clean and ordered. The people lookd healthy and properly clothed. The school consisted of a long building made of wood slats with dirt floors, but was well-swept and clean. the children looked so neat and happy in their blue and white checkered uniforms. They greeted us with warm smiles. It seemed as if  faith had taken a hold here. One story serves as a good example to illustrate the difference. A candy dropped out of one of the doctor’s bag and a young girl and her mother, rather than keep the candy, chased after the doctor to return it. In Haiti when you bring out a piece of candy a crowd quickly gathers to ask for more.

At this clinic we saw the usual cases of infection, scabies, and upset stomachs. Two particular cases stand out. An elderly man walked in with an arthritic knee and had to be given a steroid injection. A baby boy was brought in with a large lump on the top of his head. The lump had to be drained and treated but the process was painful and the boy screamed his little heart out. Tough to watch but we were all relieved to see the bump treated with medication and gauzes. We brought him with us to Hinche to take to the hospital for follow-up. When we had finished seeing all the patients with tickets, we went class by class to give the children multi-vitamins and check for obvious problems like scabies and lice.

The children have stolen our hearts. Our team leader has been ready to adopt a few toddlers along the way. It is in these children that we see the seed of hope that the Lord is sowing in this nation. We have seen the work He has begun and it is beautiful to behold.

Our last day. We leave tomorrow and it is bittersweet. We are ready to return to our families and loved ones, our lives and our work, but we are also sad to be parting from the family we have made here among the teams and in this ministry.

Haiti, “Arise and shine, for your light is come. And the glory of the Lord rises upon you. Darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord rises upon you. And his glory is all over you.” –Isaiah 60:1.